"That's genuinely incredible." Basil glanced down at the bottle, tilting it to watch the liquid shift in its glass container. "I wonder if I could put a good word for you in..." He muttered to himself. Wait, did the boy something about side effects? Nah, maybe he misheard. It was hard to understand what he said with his mouth covered by his hand.

The boy quickly introduced himself and offered his hand. The young noble smiled and grasped his hand with his gauntleted hand. "Basil, my name is Basil. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said with sincerity because he was genuinely impressed with Earl's skill and dedication in his journey to create concoction. "I'm taking the league on too. Actually, I am one of Professor Kalmia's assistants. I've only been a trainer a bit, but I can say that it's been... interesting."

Basil had this thousand-yard stare as he thought about his entire journey. Interesting was an apt word considering how much happened.

He took a deep breath and then proceeded to unload an unholy amount of information as if he needed to get it off his chest. With each point he brought up, he lifted a finger as if he listed it off. "Nearly got jumped, solved an ancient mystery with the person who nearly jumped me, unleashed a legendary Pokemon and was given a gift by it, played a game of chicken with my life with a mother Hydreigon to convince it to get the chance to recruit one of her kids which worked, planted the gift from the legendary Pokemon in the berry garden and suddenly caused every plant to bear fruit while the gift itself turned into a wooden effigy, and it turns out I may have stumbled upon a conspiracy."

All of that was said in one breath. He was slightly out of breath as he left Early to process what he said. "Oh, and I have a gym badge already." He quickly brought up with a weary chuckle before his shoulders slouched forward and heaved a heavy sigh. "It's been a week."

@Remram

‘Professor’s assistant, huh? Got any good boons out of that?’ Earl asked back after having shook hands, er, hand and gauntlet. Then Basil started going through what had happened to him during his trip. Earl took a moment to raise his eyebrows a bit as the speech grew longer. Finally, Basil finished, and Earl gave a little ‘Huh,’ sound.

‘I guess they’re supposed to be adventures. I did catch a
Pokémon only to suddenly be pursued by his overly protective mother. Now I travel with both of them, but the higher-level mother is unusable by me because all she does is demand to see her son… But, like, he actively hates and avoids her, so I’m somehow carrying a whole family drama in my pockets. But I guess that’s how far I can compare. Other than a couple mishaps when trying to develop new potions…’ Earl said, something about Basil unloading all that made him share some, too.

‘I got a gym badge, too. Pretty sure Lorette held back, though. More than she needed to, at least,’ he said, and then looked aside for a bit… ‘I’ve lost against Archie thrice already. He doesn’t hold back at all. … Would you like a tip?’ Earl asked.

What does Basil say?







Connected areas:
Route 4. Forest route at the base of Mt. Strength leading west to Rainrock City.
Route 5. A grassy incline connecting mountains, forests, plains, Stillwood and Lakewatch.
Route 14. The waters of Dragon Lake are also known as Route 14. It connects Lakewatch Town, Highhill Town and Stillwood Village.
Mountain Valley. A passage between Mt. Strength and Mt. Chill, a shortcut to Worldedge City.

They were supposed to be adventures? Basil's brow furrowed as he stewed over the thought for a second before a quick breath of air escaped. He chuckled and said, "You know, I didn't really think of it that way, but I suppose we're both having an adventure." They were called journeys for a reason and they certainly were on one. It was nice to hear about how other trainers' journeys though there was also a point where he did not wish to use their experience for his own gain, such as Earl's offer to divulge information on the gym leader.

"I appreciate the offer I'd rather figure it out myself. It doesn't feel fair otherwise, but thanks though." As much as he understood that any intel could be used to help him on his journey, this was one of those moments where he had to refuse. Perhaps it was a poorly placed sense of pride or some other reason, but when it came to challenges like this then he wanted to conquer them through his own effort and ingenuity, not because he had information prior.

However,there was something they could do together; Basil's eyes glanced back at the shopkeeper and then turned back to Earl with a smile. "How about we do a good deed?" He said before he turned his attention back to the shopkeeper. In an attempt to snap her back to reality, Basil waved his hand and said,"Hello, miss?"

Once Basil got her attention, he said, "You see, I have a lot of berries to spare, more than I know what to do with, if you want to experiment to get some better tasting concoctions. If you can whip something up, we can advertise to get you more customers."

@Remram

‘Fair enough,’ Earl responded to Basil saying that he wished to figure it out himself. Then, he raised an eyebrow at Basil suggesting to do a good deed.

The clerk flinched back to reality when Basil suddenly addressed her, like her whole being suddenly regained color again, looking at the hand he waved with startled eyes.

‘Wh-what?’ she first asked, looking almost afraid that he’d come with another reality-changing statement. And… maybe he did. She looked confused at the offered kindness. ‘You’d… you’d do that?’ she asked, not sounding like she entirely believed him.

‘I can help make them,’ Earl supplied, walking to stand next to Basil in offering aid. ‘I know something about how to concoct flavors out of berries. Crafting mixtures based on plant-life is my speciality, after all,’ he said, a certain amount of pride in his tone.

‘I-’ The clerk stared at them in disbelief. ‘Yes! Thank you! In that case…’

So, with Basil’s berries (which ones do you offer? or, just like, all of them?), the clerk’s knowledge of herbal medicine and Earl’s skills at making concoctions, they were able to craft some items. Any combination of sweet, sour and salt can help reduce bitterness. Berries could provide sweet and sour, while the clerk could dash off and grab salt from elsewhere. Earl also provided some honey, because he had some available.

In the end, they produced…!

Berry Smoothie! - You’d never believe there’s Heal Powder inside it!
Berry Gummy! - Chewy little treat that has Energy Powder inside it!
Berry Bar! - A crunchy bar with sweet insides disguising the Energy Root!
Berry Poké Puff! - It looks just like a Poké Puff! If you didn’t know there was a Revival Herb inside it, you’d never have guessed!

‘Wow…’ the clerk made a bit of an amazed noise. While she might have known how to use the herbs, these creations were mostly Earl. He sighed out in content and stood up. Stella, who’d previously just been hiding behind Basil’s leg, peeked out slightly curiously!

‘Like… like this?’ the clerk offered some of the creations, perhaps to let Basil and Earl advertise with them.



Basil also lost an unspecified amount of berries.

Now, then. How was he going to advertise these?



What does Basil say?





Connected areas:
Route 4. Forest route at the base of Mt. Strength leading west to Rainrock City.
Route 5. A grassy incline connecting mountains, forests, plains, Stillwood and Lakewatch.
Route 14. The waters of Dragon Lake are also known as Route 14. It connects Lakewatch Town, Highhill Town and Stillwood Village.
Mountain Valley. A passage between Mt. Strength and Mt. Chill, a shortcut to Worldedge City.

Why was he doing this? Frankly speaking, this shop was in such a sad state of affairs that he felt compelled to help out. Everyone needed a helping hand; he did when Professor Kalmia gave him Cecil so he should put out that same energy into the world. "Don't think too hard about it." He said as he watched Earl walk beside him and offered his expertise. It was lucky that he was generous with his time and knowledge or else this would have been all for naught.

Basil fished around his almost bottomless bag and pulled out the bountiful wealth that he had received from the nice lady from the berry garden. He handed her ten razz berries, ten nanab berries, and ten oran berries to work with. However, that was all he could do before he stood by on the sidelines and watched Earl help the shopkeeper develop recipes, twiddling his thumbs since he really had no idea how to cook let alone perform whatever alchemy needed to make those herbs into something palatable. However, the results were beyond expectation!

"Yeah, exactly like that! If you've got the recipes down you can no doubt sell a lot of these." He accepted the goodies full heartily, but he suddenly wore a stern expression on his face. "Patent these as soon as you can. Once word gets out, the Mercia family will try to release their own product and your efforts will go up in smoke," he said with great urgency.

"You've done your part. Now it's time for an effective advertisement campaign and I know exactly where to do it." Basil had a soft, yet knowing smile. To the Treehouse Arena!

❄Erika Olson❄

---

---

Erika clenched at her bag strap with both hands as she tried to bring her focus rapidly back in. Sno out. Eep wasn't there yet. Kay trying her best. She was leading but for how long now that she was on the back foot? What was her move now?

"Kay, use Topsy-Turvy and turn that Leer into a defense boost for yourself!" Erika hollered turning to one of her favorite tricks to utilize since it often tripped people up. It would help Kay more than Sno at the moment, anyway. Sorry Sno, but maybe that barrage would wake you up.

Kay spun, flipping herself upside down to meet that Leer by Pansear. "In~ʎɐɐʞ" The floating squid chimed, boosting her defense just in time for the razor leaf to pelt her.

Sno snoozed and was blasted back which was expected. She rolled past Eep who was still inching his way up but not quite there yet. He'd be the nail in the coffin for her win, she thought, but for now he could only support.

"Eep, use Astonish against..." She thought for a moment. The flinch chance was low but it was better than nothing. The question was, who was more dangerous. Tropius or Pansear? Perhaps the one with mass? "...Tropius!"

Eep was still worming up but paused, looking at the large leaf Pokemon and made a startling sound! "Liiilllleeeeep!"

---

^{Frozen Cave || Evening}
Movement in the corner of her vision alerted Eryn to the fact that there were, in fact, shadows following her. Sneasels, from the look of it, and uncharacteristically noticeable in the fading daylight that reflected throughout the cave’s icy walls.

“Maybe they’re just curious,” she whispered when Dei growled at them menacingly, though she noted that there were at least two shadows and counting. Best to hurry, then.

The passageway opened into a room, and the sounds quickly placed themselves. A Glaceon was engaged in battle with a large Golduck and its trainer, though it seemed strangely one-sided. From what the guy was saying, it seemed he wanted to recruit the Glaceon, and he wasn’t taking no for an answer despite all the icy chunks of refusal being launched his way. Eryn could relate to that—and respect it.

A mix between a scrape and a growl echoed over her shoulder, and her heart jumped as she made out the two shapes floating over: Glalie.

Eryn swallowed, eyes darting between her options. Interrupt the trainer’s rather unsuccessful attempt at convincing the Glaceon and enlist him in certain battle, or draw the Glalie away and buy him some more time. Between the trainer’s shouting, which was loud enough that Eryn couldn’t blame the Glalie, and Mason’s warning about Glalie being much higher leveled than the usual wilds ringing in her ears, Eryn’s choice seemed pretty clear to her.

“Hey, how about you just show the Glaceon what the Pokemon you train are capable of?” Eryn yelled, sliding down the ice in haste so she wouldn’t get popsicled. Getting trounced by Glalie wasn’t in her plans for today—or ever. “Or, just help a girl out!”

---

@Remram

‘Oooh! Yes! Please! Can I have the recipes?’ the clerk asked, all wide-eyed as she looked over at Earl.

‘Yeah, sure,’ Earl said, within Basil’s earshot. He’d later add on ‘_{For a small fee,}’ when Basil was out of earshot, making the clerk flinch at how very unspecified that was. Regardless, she got the recipes, and…

Basil emphasized that she needed to patent these asap, or the Mercia family would do what they do best. The clerk looked utterly stunned.

‘Th-the Mercia family? Who are they? Are they bad guys? Am I in trouble?’ she asked, apparently out of the loop. ‘Patent these. Yeah, I can patent these! How… how does one patent things?’ That was a question for a different time, for now, Basil headed for the Treehouse Arena!

The Treehouse arena was a large building built around a big tree, circular in shape and impressive in height. It was among the more imposing buildings in the otherwise very homely village. The people around it were, on average, substantially younger than the average age of a Stillwood resident, perhaps the older people here no longer felt a taste for battle. That said, there were numerous Aroma Ladies around.

The arena was a wooden platform with wooden walls, it truly felt like being inside a large treehouse, if he wished to take it that far. Regardless of how far he was intending on taking it, the receptionist happily waved him over and had a whole speech prepared.

‘Welcome! This is the Treehouse Arena. At the start of each battle, you select three of your Pokémon to engage the opponent with. You can select any of your Pokémon, even if they’re in your storage. Between each battle you will have your Pokémon healed, and then you can switch what Pokémon you want to fight with for the next battle. You battle at the minimum three opponents regardless of if you win or lose, and after that you continue until you quit or are defeated! At the end, you’ll be given berries, more the more you won! To enter, write what kinds of berries you’d like on a card, and pay 350P to start! You won’t earn any money from the trainers you battle here, but you can look forward to a bunch of berries! Would you like to enter?’

So, yes. The rewards were berries. The things that Basil had in excess.

What would he do here?





Connected areas:
Route 4. Forest route at the base of Mt. Strength leading west to Rainrock City.
Route 5. A grassy incline connecting mountains, forests, plains, Stillwood and Lakewatch.
Route 14. The waters of Dragon Lake are also known as Route 14. It connects Lakewatch Town, Highhill Town and Stillwood Village.
Mountain Valley. A passage between Mt. Strength and Mt. Chill, a shortcut to Worldedge City.



________________________

@Pirouette

Kay flipped upside down, and had already taken the Pansear’s Leer, and by Contrary, it flipped into a defensive buff! With Topsy Turvy, Kay took Sno’s lowered defense, and flipped that on its head, too! With that, both of them had heightened resistance against the Razor Leaves that started pelting them from above! … It didn’t help Sno a lot, because she was hit with a Critical Hit from the increased ratio sharp leaves, sending her flying off the top! But, Kay was pretty much fine, defended by both Reflect and now a defense increase!

Vanillite was not able to get back in just one post.

‘Wait a- That Lileep sticks to the ground like caramel to a burnt pan! If that one gets to the top, I’m toast!’ her opponent suddenly remarked. ‘Tropius! Block it!’

With that, his returning Tropius flew straight over the hill they were fighting on and crashed into Eep… who used that moment to unleash Astonish just before impact! It hit, and Tropius flinched just the slightest with the slightest knockback, enough that it just completely missed Eep and careered into the ground beyond on Erika's side!

Meanwhile, Pansear stood up on its side of the top and sent an Incinerate at Kay, but it hardly mattered because with this, Eep was able to cross the last distance to the top. There was no earthly way for her opponent to move Eep, and with the early advantage Erika had gained from Sno being the fastest, it eventually led to…



‘Aaaaaaand that's match! Erika takes the match with that slight advantage she had since the beginning!’ Makirisu called… to a half-cheering, half-grumbling crowd. Seems like quite a few bet against her victory here.

‘Good battle! I think it was exactly the seasoning this meal needed!’ her chef opponent said with a smile.

‘As before! This means Erika has moved up a tier for her rewards! Now she'll be getting rare items! Specifically, she'll be getting TMs! But! If she wins once more, she'll move onto the Pokémon tier! What will it be, Erika? Move onto the next round, face a tougher opponent, or leave with your current reward? Don't worry, you won't lose the reward if you lose~’

Will Erika go for another battle, or is she done here?

Sno’s still asleep.

If she were to leave, the next post will contain her next rewards… but she’d then be free to go wherever she wanted.



________________________

@Typical

The trainer, the Golduck and the Glaceon all turned to look in Eryn’s direction as she slid down yelling. The Glaceon stood motionless staring at the scene. The Golduck and the trainer looked a bit bewildered, before the trainer opened a grin.

‘Like I’d pass on the chance to be a hero!’ he called, swung his arm, and pointed up at a Glalie. ‘Golduck, use Aqua Tail!’

Golduck leapt, showing substantial strength as it gathered water on its tail. When it approached a Glalie, it spun in midair and slammed its tail into the round ball of living ice. The hit sent Glalie careering, and Golduck followed after it, up past the slide Eryn had just slid down.

Then the other one came flying down the incline at a different angle, unopposed by the Golduck and rapidly approaching Eryn’s position.

‘Oh, crud, there’s two of them, uh-’ The trainer reached for the Pokéballs on his belt, and then hesitated. Some internal calculation was made, and the result… was that he was all of a sudden dashing headlong towards the Glalie himself.

‘HEY, GIANT FREAK OF NATURE, THIS WAY!’ he shouted out at it, and just as he intended, he got the Glalie’s attention. That’s when the Glalie’s mouth started gathering up frosty power, and the trainer cartwheeled sideways in order to avoid a Frost Breath which the Glalie unleashed while rotating, causing a sweeping chilling attack. ‘I MIGHT NOT HAVE THOUGHT THIS THROOOOUUUUGH…!’

Golduck, over there, over the ice slide, realized its trainer's predicament and was about to jump back… when the Glalie it had attacked bit down on it with a giant Bite attack. It grunted in pain and then turned back to strike back at Glalie, and was clearly occupied.

Eryn’s reasoning is correct, the Glalies are way higher level than her Pokémon, that said, perhaps there was something she could do anyway.

The cave-room she’s in is a moderately sized one with two exits, one to the left and one to the right, both leading off into unknown caverns. There were icy protrusions extending out of practically all walls, making it possible to hide behind them, potentially. The same went for the ceiling, which had icy crystals hanging around. The icy slide was behind her, and did not count towards those two exits. In the center of the room was a large, icy rock, with a Glaceon standing on-guard on top of it.

What would Eryn do?





Connected areas:
Frozen Cave, Mines. At the entrance of the Frozen Cave.
Route 9. If you were to get all the way through.

❄Erika Olson❄

---

---

Erika tensed, dipping and darting her head and gaze around to the battle in front of her. It was funny to think about later, but she was more stressed about this than her first gym badge just by the nature of the battle. Thankfully, she didn't have time to keel over the stress before the call was made. She had won!

"Whew!" Erika sighed, dropping her hands onto her knees in a slouched relief. "Good match!" She called out with a thumbs up before the announcer caught her attention. In truth, Erika had wanted the TMs so she was perfectly happy to depart on this note but she was curious to see what would happen if she continued... Another time.

"Oh thank you but I will call it here for the TMs!" She said, shaking her head. Before anyone could convince her otherwise, she returned all three of her Pokemon back to their Pokeballs.

Collecting her rewards, she would depart PokéMania and find herself in the dense cluster of the Entertainment district again. The tight, almost corridor paths, weaved in almost every direction as Erika started to walk around. There were so many shops, restaurants, and everything! It was kind of cool but also a little scary as being this low in the district made it seem like it was dusk so the various lighted signs and neon really stuck out. The other thing was the amount of noise as catchy tunes, chimes, and advertising criers tried to catch her attention. It was all... exhausting if you stayed too long. Especially from the almost quiet stillness that Cooldome could offer on a snowy night.

Erika, resigning herself of the Entertainment district for now, would work her way back up. Entering the Commercial District, she would trade the compact corridors of the Entertainment district for wider walkways that were just as busy with activity but a little more natural light. She wandered a bit but eventually stopped at a building that caught her attention. Inventor Russel’s Store.

Erika squinted, glancing around at the store entrance... It felt like a junk pile with various contraptions, half completed or at least seeming so. She figured she had time before setting out with her friends so she would stop in and see what this place was all about.

---

^{Frozen Cave || Evening}
Eryn hit the bottom of the ice slide with a skid, boots scrambling for grip. Catching movement in the corner of her eyes, she turned in time to see the other trainer sprinting full-tilt straight at the Glalie.

“Are you—?” Eryn blinked, caught between disbelief and admiration as the guy cartwheeled away from a beam of ice. “You’re insane,” she breathed, adjusting her grip on Dei. “But sure, I’ll take it.”

Her mind raced as she braced against the ice, shielding Dei with one hand as the icy wind of the Glalie’s Frost Breath raked across the cave floor. From what she could tell of the Glalie and Golduck’s collision, this battle was well out of her Pokémon’s capabilities. Support or distraction were her best bets here—and keeping her team out of harm’s way.

“Dei, Smokescreen!”

Dei growled and loosed a blast of smoke toward the charging ice-type. It wasn’t much, but it was thick enough to obscure the Glalie's vision for a few seconds, and Eryn took this time to duck behind a jagged outcrop, popping another Pokéball off her belt.

“Peri, on me—quiet,” she said, releasing the Onix beside her.

Peri emerged with a low rumble, her stony coils bracing against the cave floor as she took in the chaos from the edge of the cave.

“Stealth Rock as much as you can,” Eryn said, pointing to a point between the two Glalie.

Peri shifted her weight and slammed her tail down. Cracks split across the floor in every direction, and stones burst up across the room, scattered at different heights. They hung, spinning slowly in the cold air, sharp enough to hurt a fast-moving Pokemon.

“Make them charge!” Eryn called out from behind the ice. If something moved fast enough, hopefully they’d run straight into the rocks.

---

Basil looked rather sheepishly at the attendant because his reason for being there was not for battling. "I, uh, I'm actually here to do something else... I'll pay the fee though for taking up your time."

After the matter was settled, Basil slung his bag down his shoulders and placed it on the ground before digging up his mandolin case and pulled it out. He could already feel his cheeks flush in embarrassment from what he was about to do. With great gusto he quickly strummed a few chords loudly to command the attention of those around. "Ladies and gentlemen, trainers of every age! We all love our Pokemon, don't we? We spend our hard earned money to make sure they have the very best because they are also our responsibility. That also goes for their health. When Pokemon Centers aren't available, there are few options. You either burn a whole in your pocket for a potion or for a fraction of the cost you can buy herbal medicine, but then your Pokemon will detest you for making them take something so bitter. The pains we go through for our Pokemon am I right?"

Hopefully he would get some nods though most likely he would get some strange looks. However, he continued on. "But worry not! Your very own local herbal shop is releasing a new line of healthy, but delicious Pokemon snacks! Take a look!" Basil crouched down and pulled out the various snacks that he had received earlier for helping the owner. "A Berry Smoothie made with a Heal Powder to heal all of your ailments or if that isn't what you need these fruit gummies or fruity crunchy bars made with Energy Powder and Energy Roots will put a pep in your Pokemon's step! And the piece de resistance is the Berry Poke Puff made with a Revival Herb! Look at how fluffy and creamy it is!"

He absolutely felt like a snake oil salesman even though he trusted that these products were the genuine article.

"They're available today, but right now there is limited availability so act fast!"

@Pirouette

‘Alright! Then let's hear an applause for Erika, who secured herself two wins!’ Makirisu called out over the crowd, and she got a modest applause from the public before she stepped outside. More battles were going on, and Makirisu was the one attending that one, so all she got was a receptionist smiling happily at her in the front. There, the receptionist slid three disks over to her.

‘Makirisu was quite fond of you. She’d like you to have these, and said that if you ever want to come back, you’d be quite welcome!’



And if she doesn’t want one or multiple of them, she can hand them back and get 1,000P per TM she hands back.

With that, she was off, again. The Entertainment District indeed stretched out in all directions, including up and down, and there were places to look out towards the skyscrapers standing like pillars holding the Commercial District up above them. Pathways allowed one to walk around the buildings on the outside, looking out over the railings at all the other places one could go to in the depths of Worldedge City. Indeed, too many catchy tunes and too many neon signs could become exhausting. So Erika took the stairs or one of many elevators available to reach the somewhat less loud Commercial District.

The Commercial District was more what one would expect of a normal city, with people milling about looking for whatever was on their hearts right now, less playful but more functional. Still with the added flair of strangeness of Worldedge City, however, as one could peek down at the Entertainment District between the streets and also look up to realize the Commercial District’s buildings were, in turn, keeping the Residential District above it. So, a perfectly chill place, with a lot more normal stores around that sold whatever one could imagine…

Including the completely insane.

The entrance looks like someone’s garage where they left the doors just wide open. There’s a driveway, but it’s shock-full of unidentifiable mechanical machinery and tinkermajings pushed haphazardly aside to create some form of a path into the building itself. It could have been mistaken for mechanical trash, if it weren’t for the fact they had price-tags on them. All of it was for sale. A lot of them looked like attempts at engines, strange cylindrical machines, and one over there was entirely frozen over in a sheet of ice, for some reason. And a lot of helmets, goggles, boots and bracelets. The machine to the left had a spinning gear holding a broomstick it was swinging high in the sky. Another had a fan on it… and a lot of other things. Above it all, a big sign said… “Russel’s Store”, in extremely plain text.

Inside, more strangeness, more machines. A grandfather clock was sitting against the wall for no clear reason. A giant metallic cylinder was attached to the wall, with a couple Magnemites attached to it. For no apparent reason, here stood a fire hydrant almost entirely in the middle of the way. There’s a living Pidgey standing, upside down, on the ceiling. It has a metallic backpack, and has lifted its head to stare at the new visitor. By a table over there an Abra is sitting with a strange helmet on, a pen in one hand, trying to write something, it looks like. Another Abra is sitting by a strange panel on the floor, a white one that almost looks like it glows, this Abra too has something mechanical attached around its head for unclear reasons. It seems to wait for someone or something to walk onto the panel…

‘-are completely useless! How could you sell these to me!?’ … But perhaps most obvious was the lady yelling into the face of this old guy over here. The lady looked moderately well-off, in a long blue dress and a pretty hat, but also with quite a red face right now. She was waving a set of goggles in the man’s face.

‘What did they do?’ On the other side of the counter, leaning casually on it, was Russel himself. An older man, bald top of his head, with a white beard and white mustache, wearing what was unmistakingly a worker’s outfit, and with a set of goggles of his own with completely different design stuck on his face.

‘What did they- THEY DID NOT GUIDE ME HOME! I thought it was exactly what I needed, as a person who gets lost easily, BUT THEY WERE NOT!’ the lady yelled back.

‘Yeah? So what did they do instead?’ Russel asked, not looking particularly bothered by her anger.

‘They did not guide me home!’ the lady repeated.

‘Yes, yes, but what did they do instead? Did they guide you somewhere specific? Did they do nothing?’ Russel insisted.

‘They brought me to the entrance of Mt. Edge!’ she now declared.

‘Did they? DID THEY!?’ Russel suddenly spun around, focusing all his attention towards the lady. ‘Interesting. How very interesting. What’s your connection to Mt. Edge?’

‘I’ve never been inside the mountain in my life! Far too dangerous for me!’ the woman replied.

‘Alright!’ He then snatched the goggles out of the lady’s hands, then leaned down and deposited a bunch of money in front of the lady. ‘Thanks for testing my invention for me. Here’s your prize money,’ he declared.

‘Test-!?’ the woman did not look happy. ‘You sold it to me like it was a finished product!’

‘Well, whenever I used them, they always guided me back home!’ Russel laughed, and the woman seemed to have had enough, so she collected the prize-money and angrily left, walking by Erika…

Russel, looking kind of exciting, walked to the back of his store, and wrote something new at the bottom of a whiteboard. The whiteboard was labelled “Quest Board”, and had multiple lines, but Erika would have to get closer to read them.

‘Hm? Oh, someone new. What can I get you?’ Russel turned back, saw Erika, and immediately addressed her. Still, if she wanted to look around he could go back to tinkering with a round bowl of some kind he had behind his desk with an unknown purpose.

There’s a more comprehensible list of things for sale by the desk.



Notably, two of the bigger machines here are labelled the “Confusing Candy dispensers” and another is the “Perilous Potion brewer”, and yet another is a “Risky Revive maker”. They’re also for sale, for a sum of money higher than Erika can obtain during a regular adventure.

Anyway! If examined further, the list comprised of a list of Pokémon that Russel wanted, and also a bunch of things he wanted.



So, what does Erika do?



________________________

@Typical

Dei shot out a cloud of smoke that successfully cloaked around the Glalie, hitting it straight on and covering the angry ice ball in black fog that made it unable to see. It shouted out angrily and gave the trainer a moment to breathe.

‘Woo, well done!’ he said, getting to his feet and then reaching for his belt, where he had his Pokéballs. While he did this, Eryn sent out Peri, and had her use Stealth Rock. However, perhaps calling out to Eryn that she’d done well was a mistake, because Glalie turned straight at him despite being in the midst of smoke and unleashed another Frost Breath!

‘WHOA!’ the trainer side-hopped in the last possible moment, eyes wide in shock, and then his feet slid and he briefly fell down on all fours and slid on a piece of ice for a moment, just barely sliding out of the Frost Breath’s range with a very impressive speed. It looked like he got hit a little, but it didn’t stick. Frost Breath being a blowing kind of attack, it also dispersed a large part of the smokescreen. Eryn called to make them charge…

‘Right!’ the trainer called, spinning around towards the field of Stealth Rock that had manifested between the two Glalies, taking two steps on four legs to get speed on the ice and then struggling up on two to run and duck under the floating rocks as he headed that direction. ‘C’mon, ugly ice rock! You’ll never catch me!’ he shouted…

And Glalie stared at him, motionless, not pursuing. The trainer slid to a confused halt.

Instead, it spun around and glared at Eryn and Peri. Unfortunately, it was very hard to hide an Onix in here. And then… it took off towards them!

‘Ah, crud,’ the trainer said. He started running after the Glalie, while simultaneously calling out ‘GOLDUCK!’
Over there, unfortunately, Golduck was in the midst of wrestling with the teeth of the other Glalie, rolling around and was quite occupied. The Golduck shouted back an angry quack.

‘Oh, right!’ the trainer said, reaching for another Pokéball on his belt since he’d failed to grab one before the attack last time.

That didn’t necessarily help Eryn quite yet, though, because she had an angry Glalie coming flying towards Peri and Eryn and it seemed quite intent on unleashing yet another Frost Breath.

What would Eryn do?





Connected areas:
Frozen Cave, Mines. At the entrance of the Frozen Cave.
Route 9. If you were to get all the way through.



________________________

@Remram

‘… Alright! If you’re here to watch, the stands are that way…’ the attendant said, still taking the payment of 350P, though.

Here at the Treehouse Arena, the average age of people was relatively young, and prepared trainers. It was also relatively uneventful here in the lobby, so Basil’s sudden music definitely immediately had everyone’s attention. Then he started speaking like an infomercial and quite a few of them immediately lost interest and continued whatever they were doing, others were curious enough to keep on listening. Mostly because there’s not a lot of advertisement in Stillwood Village. He was definitely getting a bunch of strange looks, and not a lot of nods. Then, he got to the part where he brought out the sweets, and…

‘What, those sweets are supposed to be good for our Pokémon? I’ll believe it when I see it,’ some boy said.

‘Wait, it’s the HERB STORE that is selling these? THAT Herb Store?’ another asked, incredulous.

‘I guess she’s trying something new! I suppose I’ll give it a try, at least,’ a girl said, sounding supportive.

‘Does that mean she’s not selling the regular herbs anymore? But I liked those…’ one boy said. The Oddish beside him, though, looked ready to jump for joy.

‘Yeah, I don’t know if I trust the sweets, but I’ll support the local establishments!’ someone else said…

Overall, it seemed like the overall consensus was relatively positive and it resulted in a number of them walking off immediately in the direction of the Herb Store. So on that point, mission success. Also, though…

‘Excuse me,’ … there was suddenly the clerk that had walked up to him with a smile but had also brought along a staff member that looked a lot like a guard. ‘We would appreciate it if you asked us if it’s okay before you start advertising in our facility. You did not have our permission,’ she stated, pretty simply.

Simply put, he was successful, and he’d then be asked to leave the area.

What would he do now?





Connected areas:
Route 4. Forest route at the base of Mt. Strength leading west to Rainrock City.
Route 5. A grassy incline connecting mountains, forests, plains, Stillwood and Lakewatch.
Route 14. The waters of Dragon Lake are also known as Route 14. It connects Lakewatch Town, Highhill Town and Stillwood Village.
Mountain Valley. A passage between Mt. Strength and Mt. Chill, a shortcut to Worldedge City.

He felt like throwing up. Attention was something he couldn't deal with. It was different when he busked out on the streets; he could just be in his own little world and ignore everyone else, but this? So many eyes were on him, people doubting what he had to say or maybe thinking he had a few screws loose in his head. However, his efforts were not in vain as it seemed like he brought the shop some new customers and hopefully word of mouth will spread.

"Oh thank God it's over." Basil heaved a sigh of relief. Maybe later he would sling back around to the Herb Shop to see how much business it would be able to drive up though he kept his expectations checked. It was not like the place would be overrun after a brief bit of advertisement though that was probably for the best. Hopefully the owner could figure out how to file for patents.

However his train of thought was broken when he was approached by the front desk person and a guard. Oh, he forgot to ask for permission. His face lit up red to the tips of his ears in embarrassment. "I, uh, sorry. I'll leave." They didn't even need to ask him to leave, he understood it immediately.

Basil walked out and heaved a sigh. He could challenge the gym leader while Anise was sorting out her own business, but he didn't feel ready. If he were to be honest with himself, he felt like the more he journeyed the more he was way over his head. Somehow, he kept getting involved in things that he had not had the power to do anything about. It was starting to gnaw at him, the impatience and the budding frustration.

"I need to get stronger, fast." He muttered to himself. The only thing he could do was to train, but a place where he could really challenge himself and his team.

So, he went around the village to ask about any training spots that would suit his needs.

@Remram

‘Oh, if you’re gonna train, then isn’t Mt. Strength perfect? There’s literally already a thousand-something fighting-types in there doing nothing BUT training! I heard they have their own dojos!’ a woman said with a chuckle.
‘… It might be a bit dangerous if you’re just starting out, though. If you’re a normal Pokémon Trainer… you could always go to the adjacent routes, like Route 4 and 5? There’s trainers to challenge and Pokémon to battle,’ the lady next to her said, trying to be a bit more careful.

‘Oh, are you trying to defeat the Gym? In that case, the Mountain Valley just north-east should help! There are plenty of Flying-type Pokémon there that are itching for battle, they can help you level up, or if you catch them, they can help you win against the Grass-types!’ said a man.

‘Oh, I guess you’re a Pokémon Trainer. You could look around for things like these. If you look for hidden items, you find them sometimes. Here, have one,’ said a lady and handed him something.


‘Well, wherever you train, don’t do it in the Ancient Woods. The Pokémon there are higher level, and even if you train at a higher level, they inflict so many status problems that it’s not worth it…’ a young man said.

‘…’ then he randomly asked another person… but this person was different. This was a young man with deep-orange hair, wearing a black jacket, and the look in his eyes was different. They were so… indifferent. ‘In Worldedge City, on the third floor of the Department Store in the Commercial District, there is the Power Market. For a price, they sell the Power Items, which allow Pokémon to gain power faster. They will not increase their max potential, but it will speed up training. Worldedge City is also where one finds the Move Tutor’s Mansion, and with the Information District and Marilyn’s Divination, there is no item one cannot obtain. With that, you become stronger than any regular training can make you,’ he said. He pondered a little, looking away, before he continued talking.

‘If you’re looking for a mentor to teach you about battling, then you want either Cooldome City or Ironcliff Town. Cooldome City is a city of battle, and they have their arena where the biggest tournaments aside from the Pokémon League are fought. It follows that the strongest trainers gather there, as well, and some are willing to help train you. The alternative, Ironcliff Town, is the town at the Pokémon League’s doorstep. It is where those intending to challenge the League gather, and also where a lot of old Pokémon veterans have chosen to live. At least a few there should be willing to teach you the tricks of the trade,’ he said. It seemed he was done, and then…

‘Now that I’ve told you all that, what’s my reward?’ he asked, turning to stare at Basil with a blank expression.



What would he do now?





Connected areas:
Route 4. Forest route at the base of Mt. Strength leading west to Rainrock City.
Route 5. A grassy incline connecting mountains, forests, plains, Stillwood and Lakewatch.
Route 14. The waters of Dragon Lake are also known as Route 14. It connects Lakewatch Town, Highhill Town and Stillwood Village.
Mountain Valley. A passage between Mt. Strength and Mt. Chill, a shortcut to Worldedge City.

Well, there were options. Mt. Strength was tempting and maybe Anise could give him some insight on the place since she had some familiarity with the place though the Pokemon he wished to train were weak to fighting types. That was at least one of the many locations that he could go and train though he got the feeling he should inform Anise of his intentions. Maybe she too would like to train as well considering she had her sights set on Landorus and the other two Pokemon that it ruled over.

Then there was this guy who was just dead behind the eyes, but he certainly could talk. This guy had to be a trainer. There was no way he knew this stuff just from passing by. It was not the information he asked for, but it certainly was a wealth of knowledge. Like it was an incredible amount of information on where he could teach his Pokemon moves, buy items, places where he could take on challenges, and even possible places where more experienced trainers could give him some guidance. However, unlike every instance where everyone gave him information for free this time payment was expected.

Basil could only shrug and ask, "Well, what do you want? Money, berries, experimental herbal fruit snacks? A favor or a request?"

---

^{Frozen Cave || Evening}
The smokescreen thinned fast as the Glalie charged, its mouth churning with ice. It had turned to her now, and the cold in the air was sharp enough to taste. Dodging wasn’t quite feasible now, but luckily there were a few other options at her team’s disposal.

“Dei—Dragon Rage!”

Dei braced and fired, the blast of blue flame flaring bright as it streaked toward Glalie. It wasn’t the Charmander’s strongest move, but it would have to be enough to throw Glalie off balance.

Eryn turned to Peri, meeting the crouching Onix’s eyes. “Peri, Rock Tomb—scatter it wide!”

Peri reared back and brought her tail down hard. Ice cracked under her coils, and stones burst up across the room in rough, rising arcs. They spun midair, heavy and sharp, floating just long enough to turn the cave floor into a minefield.

Eryn backed off, keeping Dei close, and cast a look at the other, still empty-handed trainer. “What’re you waiting for? Call someone out already!”

---

❄Erika Olson❄

---

---

Erika accepted all three TMs happily as she liked having the options in her arsenal for later. Moving on from there, she did stumble upon a really cute place that had that inventor charm to it. She had no sense what to make of all the stuff strewn about the shop. Like what did a giant fan attacked to an engine block with a long board extended from the bottom do? A hoverboard? That looked really impractical and heavy, not mention the fact that the giant fan was unguarded so it was rather dangerous. Then what was that broomstick sweeping the sky doing? Attracting attention? It certainly looked interesting and hey, it worked because Erika ventured further in.

Sno, who Erika had often just left out of her Pokeball at this stage, floated about, passing through a few objects to inspect those that caught her eye. What really caught her eye was the Pidgey that was hanging out on the ceiling with his tech. The Froslass floated up to the ceiling and investigated. "..Lass?" She muttered, flipping herself upside down to match the Pidgey.

"Oh, Sno, get down from there and leave that Pidgey alone. He might like to be up there, you know." Erika called out, nearly busting her shin on a fire hydrant out in the middle of the shop. She gave it a passing glare as she stepped around it. Sno dropped and fluttered around behind Erika as she approached the counter.

Erika had been listening in on the conversation. If she had to hazard a guess, Russel invented things that did all manner of things but often to mixed results? She glanced at his chalkboard that listed some things and yep, it certainly seemed that way.

"Hi." Erika replied as she glanced around. "I'm just kind of looking but I think I have an idea for something you might not have." Earlier Erika had been thinking about it and this kind of seemed the thing Russel might like to hear. "I have an Inkay who inverses all stat boosting and decreasing moves. I'm wondering if you have anything that can do that when flipped on? Could be a useful trick in a battle."

Finally, the goggles caught Erika's attention and noticed the board now offering a quest for them. "Also I think I'll take on that goggles quest. I guess I am curious where they will lead me. Maybe back to Mount Edge but who knows. Also I might not be headed to Mount Edge right away. I want to meet up with some people headed elsewhere but I can test them at a distance to see? Maybe they might lead somewhere else if I get far away?"

@Remram

‘…’ the guy inspected Basil for a second, then looked away and up to ponder for a second. Then he turned back and looked at Basil with those same, utterly indifferent, eyes.

‘I’m looking for a Gothita,’ he stated, simply. ‘It could be on its own, or it could be with a trainer. Regardless, it is far from home and if it's with a trainer, that trainer is mistaken in that it belongs to them. I’m going to bring it back.’ So he said, his tone one of stating a fact. His eyes, void of emotion, lingered on Basil.

‘Help me look for it. We’ll cover more ground if we ask around with the two of us. That will be my reward,’ he stated. It did not sound like a question.

It sounded like he had already decided.

What would Basil do?







Connected areas:
Route 4. Forest route at the base of Mt. Strength leading west to Rainrock City.
Route 5. A grassy incline connecting mountains, forests, plains, Stillwood and Lakewatch.
Route 14. The waters of Dragon Lake are also known as Route 14. It connects Lakewatch Town, Highhill Town and Stillwood Village.
Mountain Valley. A passage between Mt. Strength and Mt. Chill, a shortcut to Worldedge City.



________________________

@Typical

Dei shot out a blast of Dragon Rage, and it hit the floating ball of ice straight on! Glalie reeled, probably surprised by the amount of damage that hit actually did to it. Peri proceeded to bring down her tail and launch rocks flying all over, covering vision and eventually collapsing down at the incoming assailant.

But Glalie would not be deterred. Rage gathered in its eyes, and it opened its mouth wide, looking just about ready to blast out a powerful blast of ice at them, through a crack between the various rocks.

This is when Eryn turned to the trainer… only to find he was not there. He was missing from the location where he very much should have been.

There was a sudden noise of a strike, coming from the Glalie’s direction, and its eyes widened in sudden pain, followed by the sound of a Pokéball opening. All of a sudden, the Glalie fell, toppling over forward, and behind it the trainer fell while holding a new Pokémon. It was blue, covered by a shell, and it had a long, powerful horn, and some strong-looking arms despite clearly being a huge bug. The trainer leaned behind the Pokémon as Peri’s Rock Tomb came falling, crashing down all around the area. As the chaos subsided, the Glalie was fainted, and…

‘Well done, Heracross!’ the trainer said, leaping up with a smile, patting his Pokémon on the back. ‘Really good instinct, striking immediately after coming out of the Pokéball!’

‘Hera!’ Heracross proudly raised his arms and flexed, albeit his expression looked considerably confused.



Over in the distance, Golduck finally managed to get that one Glalie off it with a swiftly delivered Zen Headbutt, and after the Glalie flinched a couple meters away, the Golduck breathed in before leaning forward, opening its beak to unleash a powerful Water Pulse, blasting the Glalie back into the icy wall behind it, under which it then collapsed. Glalie fainted. The trained noticed, and waved at his Pokémon.

‘Good job, Golduck!!’ he called. The clearly annoyed Golduck called back an angry quack. ‘I know! I know! I’ll do better!’ he replied, laughing a bit. He then turned to Eryn.

‘Hey, close one! But you handled yourself well! I’m Kaz, how are you doing?’ he asked, smirking over at Eryn, putting his hands on his hips and hunching over just the slightest, seeming just a bit tired, perhaps not strange given the acrobatics he just committed to.



Behind him, still sitting on that very same rock as at the start, Glaceon tilted its head and looked towards Kaz with some curiosity. The Eeveelution had a view of it all from the other side of the room compared to Eryn’s perspective.

It seemed like the danger was over. What’s Eryn’s reply?





Connected areas:
Frozen Cave, Mines. At the entrance of the Frozen Cave.
Route 9. If you were to get all the way through.



________________________

@Pirouette

Polly the Pidgey was absently scuttling about on the ceiling, poking her beak against the surface she was standing upside-down on. When Sno came over and floated upside-down in front of her… the little Pidgey extended her wings and called out happily.

‘Welcome to my world!’ the call means if translated. She then looked a little disappointed about being left behind when Erika called her back. … And after that, Polly flapped her wings, and started flying, still upside down, pursuing Sno for fun.

Then Erika asked her thing about Inkay and Topsy-Turvy things…

Russel jerked to, and pulled his goggles off his eyes to stare at her, his eyes just the slightest insane and also just the slightest like the most intelligent person you’d ever know. He placed his goggles back on his eyes and then pointed at Erika.

‘Give me a sec’,’ Russel said, before walking over to the Abra that was writing something by the desk over there. He promptly lifted the helmet off Abra's head, and Abra immediately stopped writing, looking like every muscle in its body suddenly froze. After that, Russel walked over to a pile of mechanical not-junk and started rummaging through it.

‘I know I had it somewhere here. Let’s see, how do I make this fit a floating squid?’ He screwed some screws and the helmet broke in half, apparently he didn’t need the whole thing. He grabbed a bunch of bands that looked strange, poked a bunch of wires together, and then strapped it to a band. Some parts of the technology from the helmet was being reused.

‘Psychic Pokémon, they’re so interesting, you know? They have the power to change the very world we live in! All with their minds! Which is what makes it so interesting…’ Russel grinned as he stood up, his invention apparently done. ‘To make machines that harnesses, or messes with that power!’

He turned back to Erika. He held a strange headpiece, clearly shaped to be put on an Inkay’s head. It was like a band, to be strapped around the white top part, detachable on one side, with a hole for the top of the head to come through. It was metal, looked very inflexible, and had a bunch of wires powering an unknown machine integrated inside the band.

‘I’ve not yet gotten to work with an Inkay before, but I’m excited to see it! This machine, it…’ Russel took a pause to look down at the machine and looked like he considered how to say something. ‘… CHANGES how Psychic power is handled by the Pokémon’s mind. Sometimes it’s, well, not great, but sometimes it results in breakthroughs that will lead to even greater discoveries when tested!’ he called out, excited.

‘If you would be willing, I’d love for you to try this on your Inkay, and then tell me what it did! Whatever happens… SHOULD be related to what the Pokémon’s powers usually do!’ he told, holding the item to Erika!



If she accepted, that is.

‘Oh, yeah, sure! That was fast! Hahaha!’ he laughed at the second part, snatching up the goggles he’d just put down. He held them over to her, too. They were rather bulky for goggles, more akin to what you’d find in a science-fiction story. ‘They were an attempt to make goggles that allowed me to see Psychic energy… but I just saw a stream of it leading back to my lab. So I just figured it somehow knew where I lived and it just guided me home. Hahahaha!’ he laughed again, holding the goggles over to her.



‘Before you go…’ he took a step back, and then did a humble bow to Erika. ’I am Russel, inventor and pioneer of Worledge City, and also the owner of this here shop! They call me mad, but I say, progress requires a touch of insanity! How else would you find what mushrooms are poisonous!?’ he chuckled, clearly not minding what they call him that much. ‘What should I call you, miss?’ he asked, standing back up again with a smile.

Erika is free to respond, and then she can depart, if she so wishes, or continue the conversation. Or she can do, practically whatever.

What does Erika wish to do?





So, what does Erika do?

"Huh?" That was all he could say. This boy completely caught him off guard and it threw him off. Basil knew he gave it away that he knew about Stella, the expression even for a split second said all that it needed to say. His eyes shifted to his side to see that she was gone.

She must've ran the moment she laid eyes on him. Basil thought to himself. He would've sighed with relief, but the fact is she must've been still somewhat close by. They were not out of the woods just yet.

How did they find her so quickly? Actually, that was the wrong question. Were there people located all over the region looking for Stella? What exactly did they do to her that made her so valuable to them. Who were they and was this boy affiliated with them? It was fair to guess he was in some capacity because Stella bolted as if she knew him. The only thing that he knew was that Stella was afraid of them. If they were her enemies by extension then they were his enemies as well. After all, he could not forgive them for what they had done to her. That familiar feeling of magma boiled deep inside again.

"And where exactly is home?" Confusion transitioning into simmering rage in his eyes. He stepped forward towards the boy. "Is it with her mother in Worldedge or within the cold four walls of a lab?" Basil said with an intensity that was out of character for him.

❄Erika Olson❄

---

---

"Oh sure, take your time!" Erika replied as she watched the Inventor scurry off to the Abra that had been writing. He removed the helm and the movement of the Pokemon it was equipped by had stopped and she frowned. Would she need Inkay out for this? "Might help if Kay was out." She said more to herself than to the Inventor as she reached for her belt, plucking Kay's Pokeball.

Popping it open, Kay flipped about with Erika giving her a smile before the Inventor captured her attention. Kay glanced over to where Sno and a Pidgey were flying upside down, causing her to huff. Her cheeks puffed out as she floated over. 'That's my thing! Don't you know?' She chirped, flipping herself over to remain upside down. Sno, as a Ghost type, didn't really feel gravity anymore so she flayed out her appendages in a shrug. 'Not unusual for ghosts.'

"Yes, very." Erika called back to the Inventor as he talked about how interesting Psychic Pokemon were. He was right. She spent her whole childhood learning about how Psychic Pokemon made this work. It almost seemed too unreal to believe but they were right. Mostly, anyway, as she still yet hadn't seen any floating islands, but she hadn't quite been looking for them. The thought took Erika's gaze away and over to where her Pokemon were now all floating upside down. She gave all three of them a bewildered look before shaking her head as the Inventor approached, capturing her attention again.

"As long as it doesn't harm, Kay, I'll have her try it out." Erika replied taking the little helmet and placing it into her bag. Kay shot the pair of them a nasty look, no doubt already planning on NOT putting that on. "And I was going to leave the City before trying them out. Perhaps an extra variable to see if it changes at different points in my adventure." Erika picked the goggles up turned it over in her hands inspecting it. "I'll be back to Worldedge at some point, for sure."

She tucked that into her bag and nodded her head. "Erika." She said plainly before elaborating, "I'm from Cooldome so I get the pioneering spirit! Almost everyone wants to find the newest trail up the mountain or untouched snow for snowboarding and such." She gave the man a wave. "If you don't mind me taking your inventions for a bit, I will be back. I have more badges to win and more of Isson to see. Oh! Speaking of..." Erika gestured to the Quest Board. "A Pokemon that is an engine that isn't native here? Any tips? I'll try to keep it in mind but I'm not sure if I've heard of anything like it."

Erika would accept any advice Russel had before being content with her visit. She wasn't going to buy anything this time, seeing as she was heading out on an excursion, but next time for sure. "I'll be back another day and let you know. Bye Russel!" She waved, ushering her two Pokemon out. With Sno, she was happy to leave out of her Pokeball always, but with Kay, this was essentially a bribe to get her to eventually try on the helmet. Besides, Kay had been frozen for how long? She might have enjoyed seeing all the fancy new city stuff that wasn't here during her time.

Anyway, Erika would be drawn upwards in the city headed to the Upper Northern District of the Residentals. She wanted the fresh air, trading the busy and bustling activity of the other two districts for the calmer heights. Being this high, a steady wind blew through the narrow streets in between the tight apartments and houses of the people living here. It still had that claustrophobic feeling but broken up by the parks and outlooks onto the city which Erika, Kay, and Sno all took time to rest at. They were just kind of wandering since they had a little time to kill before having to meet everyone. At least to Erika, she wasn't feeling drawn anywhere but as she continued to wander she just so happened to stumble upon an ordinary apartment building, yet somehow familiar? She wandered in, drawn by a curiosity to see where it would lead. Up some stairs she found a door open and inviting...